1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for managing resources of a computer communication means for processing a computer document. More precisely, the present invention relates to a method for the selection and automatic configuration of a computer peripheral for processing a computer document.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a computer communication network, several computers and processing peripherals are generally connected.
The processing peripherals include both devices for printing a document, such as a printer or an electronic whiteboard associated with a printer and devices for transmitting a document, such as a facsimile machine, a modem, and, in general terms, any type of interface for communicating to the outside of the communication network in question.
These processing peripherals can also be document acquisition devices, such as a scanner, or possibly document storage devices.
Conventionally, these peripherals are connected to the network, either by being connected, via an interface card, to a computer itself connected to the network, or by being directly connected to the communication network. In the latter case, the use of the processing peripherals is in fact shared by all the users connected to the network by means of a computer.
More and more, these peripherals are being made accessible to the computer of a user by a wireless network. It is then no longer necessary to be connected to it by means of a cable in order, for example, to be able to print or transmit a document. These processings can possibly be implemented even when these peripherals have been moved since their last use by this user.
In general terms, for a user to be able to use a processing peripheral, such as a printer for example, situated in a precise geographical area, it is necessary for the user to know the geographical position of all the peripherals which are accessible to him via the communication network, cabled or otherwise. The user will first have to run through the network in order to obtain a list of the available peripherals, and then obtain, for each of them, its geographical position, and finally choose the peripherals which meet certain distance criteria, such, as, for example, the presence of this peripheral at a given place, its distance with respect to the office of the user or that of one of his colleagues, or the fact that the peripheral is outside the office of this same colleague.
In addition, and in order to obtain the best processing possible, the user will possibly have to modify the configuration of the driver giving access to this peripheral. For example, for a printer, he will be able to choose a high-resolution mode in order to correctly print the photographs contained in a given document.
In general terms, the peripherals generally have parameterisable operating modes whose parameters are fixed:                either at the time of the manufacture of the peripheral,        or, by default, by the central unit of the computer system,        or by a dialogue between the user and this computer system.        
For example, in the particular case of a peripheral consisting of a printer, the configuration thereof notably takes into account the parameters concerning the type of ink or paper used, the required resolution or the print speed.
It is also preferable for this configuration to take account of the characteristics of the document to be processed, and notably its graphical content, when it is a case of the printing of a document.
If it is wished to take advantage of a peripheral, it is necessary to adjust a large number of parameters, and for each one to fix its appropriate value amongst all those possible offered by the peripheral.
All these operations are lengthy and not accessible to a conventional user of a communication network.